American Freight Notifies Individuals of Data Breach
American Freight, LLC and its related subsidiaries and affiliates, including American Freight Outlet Stores, LLC (“American Freight”), understands the importance of protecting and securing the personal information that we maintain. We are in the process of notifying individuals of an incident that may have involved some of their information. This notice describes the incident, the populations of individuals potentially involved, measures we have taken, and some steps that individuals involved may consider taking in response.
WHAT HAPPENED?
American Freight conducted an investigation involving unauthorized access to a small number of employees’ email accounts. Upon first learning of the unauthorized access, American Freight immediately took steps to secure the employees’ email accounts and began an investigation. The investigation determined that an unauthorized person had access to the contents of the accounts at various times between November 24, 2020, and December 9, 2020. The investigation did not determine whether the unauthorized individual viewed any contents in the subject email accounts.
WHAT INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED?
We searched the contents of the accounts to identify documents containing personal information that may have been viewed or acquired and on June 11, 2021, we determined that certain emails or attachments contained certain information, including names accompanied by Social Security numbers, financial/checking account numbers, payment card numbers, driver’s license numbers, and limited medical/health information. This information relates to American Freight’s customers, vendors, and employees.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
On August 23, 2021, we will begin mailing letters to individuals whose information was involved in the incident and for whom we have address information. We are also providing this notice to individuals whose information may have been involved but for whom we do not have an address. We established a dedicated call center for individuals to call with questions about the incident, and we are also offering complimentary credit monitoring to eligible individuals who request it.
To further protect personal information, we are taking steps to enhance our existing email security protocols and re-educating our staff for awareness on these types of incidents.
WHAT YOU CAN DO.
We encourage you to remain vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements for any unauthorized activity. If you have any questions or wish to determine if you are eligible to receive complimentary credit monitoring, please call (855) 623-1916 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
American Freight sincerely regrets that this incident occurred and apologizes for any inconvenience or concern. For more information on identity theft prevention, please see the additional steps below.
ADDITIONAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
We remind you it is always advisable to be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies is as follows:
- Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374, equifax.com, 1-800-685-1111
- Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, transunion.com, 1-800-916-8800
If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in your state. You can obtain information from these sources about steps an individual can take to avoid identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors to correct your records. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:
- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), ftc.gov/idtheft
We also recommend that you review any statements that you receive relating to your health insurance. If you identify any services that you did not receive, please notify your healthcare provider immediately.
Fraud Alerts: There are two types of general fraud alerts you can place on your credit report to put your creditors on notice that you may be a victim of fraud—an initial alert and an extended alert. You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft. An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for one year. You may have an extended alert placed on your credit report if you have already been a victim of identity theft with the appropriate documentary proof. An extended fraud alert stays on your credit report for seven years.
To place a fraud alert on your credit reports, contact one of the nationwide credit bureaus. A fraud alert is free. The credit bureau you contact must tell the other two, and all three will place an alert on their versions of your report.
For those in the military who want to protect their credit while deployed, an Active Duty Military Fraud Alert lasts for one year and can be renewed for the length of your deployment. The credit bureaus will also take you off their marketing lists for pre-screened credit card offers for two years, unless you ask them not to.
Credit or Security Freezes: You have the right to put a credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, on your credit file, free of charge, which makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. That’s because most creditors need to see your credit report before they approve a new account. If they can’t see your report, they may not extend the credit.
How do I place a freeze on my credit reports? There is no fee to place or lift a security freeze. Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a security freeze on your credit file at each credit reporting company. For information and instructions to place a security freeze, contact each of the credit reporting agencies at the addresses below:
- Experian Security Freeze, PO Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013, experian.com
- TransUnion Security Freeze, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, transunion.com
- Equifax Security Freeze, PO Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348, equifax.com
You’ll need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information.
After receiving your freeze request, each credit bureau will provide you with a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze.
How do I lift a freeze? A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily lift it or remove it altogether. If the request is made online or by phone, a credit bureau must lift a freeze within one hour. If the request is made by mail, then the bureau must lift the freeze no later than three business days after getting your request.
If you opt for a temporary lift because you are applying for credit or a job, and you can find out which credit bureau the business will contact for your file, you can save some time by lifting the freeze only at that particular credit bureau. Otherwise, you need to make the request with all three credit bureaus.
You may contact American Freight at 109 Innovation Court, Suite J, Delaware, OH 43015 or by telephone at 740-368-2222.
Additional information for residents of the following states:
Connecticut: You may contact and obtain information from your state attorney general at: Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, 165 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT 06106, 1-860-808-5318, www.ct.gov/ag
District of Columbia: You may contact and obtain information from your attorney general at: Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, 441 4th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, 1-202-727-3400, www.oag.dc.gov.
Maryland: You may contact and obtain information from your state attorney general at: Maryland Attorney General’s Office, 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-888-743-0023 / 1-410-576-6300, www.oag.state.md.us . Maryland residents may also contact
Massachusetts: Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to file and obtain a copy of a police report. You also have the right to request a security freeze, as described above. You may contact and obtain information from your state attorney general at: Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, 1-617-727-8400, www.mass.gov/ago/contact-us.html
New York: You may contact and obtain information from these state agencies: New York Department of State Division of Consumer Protection, One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12231-0001, 518-474-8583 / 1-800-6971220, http://www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection; and New York State Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, 1-800-771-7755, https://ag.ny.gov.
North Carolina: You may contact and obtain information from your state attorney general at: North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, 9001 Mail Service Centre, Raleigh, NC 27699, 1-919-716-6000 / 1-877-566-7226, www.ncdoj.gov
Rhode Island: This incident involves 89 individuals in Rhode Island. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to file and obtain a copy of a police report. You also have the right to request a security freeze, as described above. You may contact and obtain information from your state attorney general at: Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, 1-401-274-4400, www.riag.ri.gov
West Virginia: You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer reporting agencies place "fraud alerts" in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft, as described above. You also have a right to place a security freeze on your credit report, as described above.
Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act: The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. There are many types of consumer reporting agencies, including credit bureaus and specialty agencies (such as agencies that sell information about check writing histories, medical records, and rental history records). Your major rights under the FCRA are summarized below. For more information, including information about additional rights, go to www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore or write to: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street N.W., Washington, DC 20552.
- You must be told if information in your file has been used against you.
- You have the right to know what is in your file.
- You have the right to ask for a credit score.
- You have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information.
- Consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information.
- Consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information.
- Access to your file is limited.
- You must give your consent for reports to be provided to employers.
- You may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report.
- You have a right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization.
- You may seek damages from violators.
- Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have additional rights.